All those feelings I had when I play Up Your Ursenal pretty much returned when I started playing Tools of Destruction. Finally playing a game that Ratchet and Clank is suppose to be like after a long string of playing games that modded it in some way really makes you appreciate just returning to formula. It was also a nice surprise to see the little furball in HD without a chibi influence, Ratchet just looks better to me this way compared to Full Frontal Assault. All the characters in this game to are all worthwhile and have enough time to shine within this game. Personally was a fan of all the pirate levels in this game. The story is also the best its ever been, what with Ratchet learning about his past or at least trying to, and Clank dealing with some really weird cosmic stuff with the Zoni. The whole plot really sets itself up pretty well and nothing really feels forced or unwanted. Plus this game’s ending has a surprisingly bitter sweet ending to it that just makes me want to play the other future titles.
As mentioned before gameplay stays true to Ratchet and Clank formula that was ever present with the first trilogy. You go planet to planet searching for your objective while also sometimes having a side mission that you can do while you’re there. Golden bolts and Gadgetron’s secret plans are also hide on various planets so there is usually something to be looking out for too. Some planets even have bigger areas to hunt down big monsters called leviathans and claim their soul so you can trade them for bolts. You still get a bunch of neat guns, most of them work really well and are different from each other that they provide some sort of use that the others do not. Some of the weapons you get are inspired from past Ratchet and Clank games, but there are plenty of new ones out there to match them. The gadgets on the other hand are a bit more useless this time around, and are mainly there for some one time puzzle solving devices. While some of the devices are a bit more fun than others, the majority of them feel tedious. In addition to gadgets and weapons, Ratchet also gets a bunch of new devices which are a bit like bomb-esque weapons that have a small supply, but create a big impact on the battlefield. A lot of the devices are rather niche though, and aside from the Groovitron and Mr. Zurkon they are hardly useable in most situations. Leveling up weapons however is a little bit different from previous Ratchet and Clank games as there are two different ways to level up weapons. Either you upgrade them with certain mods or you kill enough enemies to level them up like it previous games. The only real downside to Tools of Destruction is its constant use of the six axis controller. While I understand that this was the time where Sony was trying to justify the six axis controller, the game uses it far too much when a simpler and more enjoyable solution would be just using the joy stick like you usual do. Pretty much anything the six axis uses, the joy stick would be better at. In fact, the only thing the six axis really does is make the puzzles a bit more annoying, and the drops from sky just a little more fun. Which honestly is a rather bad trade off.
As for the way Tools of Destruction presents itself overall. Well, its a much needed improvement. Honestly, this is the first time I could really hear the music over the sound effects and really the soundtrack for tools of destruction is pretty dang awesome. Graphically it looks wonderful, and makes use of the PS3 software much more than All 4 One did, in my opinion. The cutscenes are also well integrated, but I find it a bit of an annoyance that there are some I can’t skip during a challenge mode run. But when it comes down to it, this is the best I have seen Ratchet and Clank be.
Final Thoughts:
While it may suck that Tools of Destruction used too much of the six axis controls, overall everything else is just as good or better than Up Your Arsenal. I especially like the way they went with the story and soundtrack as it was a much needed improvement on the Ratchet and Clank series as a whole. Overall Tools of Destruction is something I want to see more of, and makes me glad to have played this great game.